| By October 31, if you do not ready the apples, nuts, pebbles as well as pumpkins, turnips or melons, you will not be able to have the benefits on the eve of All Saints Day - Halloween, as it is called in England.
But Halloween is celebrated not only in England. On this day, children in many countries dress up like devils, witches and other evil spirits and go from house to house to collect candies and other sweets.
According to the old calendar of the Druids, New Year in England falls on November 1. So, on the eve of October 31, it is necessary to drive out all evil spirits, which, on this night, come out in the open: house spirits knock on the doors and windows, witches fly on brooms in the sky and demons scare everybody. Superstitious people are scared to go out at night. A special lantern is prepared to go out. Usually, the lantern is made from a pumpkin, but you can use a turnip or a large melon.
On this night, girls like fortune-telling: they throw pebbles and nuts into the fire and observe the picture, left by the fire on the nuts and pebbles. According to them, the picture on the pebbles and nuts determine the future of the girls.
But, why did we require apples on this holiday? First, the peel of the apples too are thrown into the fire. Then, the girls try to identify the first letter of their future husband according to the shape of peel, which is burnt in fire. In addition, a contest is arranged: apples are thrown into water and the participants of the game should try to take them out using their teeth! In this case, hands are chained at the back so that the hands do not help their masters in the game. After all, Halloween is also called the night of floating apples.
Bonfires are lit all night and the streets are illuminated with pumpkin lanterns - all in order to drive away the witches. Sitting by the bonfire while the lanterns are lit, people tell ghost stories and roast chestnuts.
Interesting Pumpkin Facts:
The nearest relative of a pumpkin is a Marrow, cucumbers, gherkins and melons;
North America started growing pumpkins around 5000 years ago;
In 1584, the French explorer Jacques Cartier reported to have found "huge watermelons". In English, it sounded like "pompions", which later on turned into "pumpkins";
The flowers of pumpkins can be eaten;
American Indians roasted pumpkin slices on fires and made rugs from strips of dry-cured pumpkins;
Pumpkins are rich in fibre and low in calories. They are a good source of vitamin A and B, potassium, protein and iron;
The heaviest pumpkin in the world weighed 480 kg. It was grown by Paula and Nathan Zehr in Lowville, NY, in 1996;
The nutritional value of pumpkin seeds increases with their age;
The largest pumpkin pie weighed 160 kg and had a diameter of 152 cm;
In the past, it was considered that the pumpkin was a good remedy for freckles and snake bites;
90% of a pumpkin is made up of water;
The first American settlers cut the pumpkin top, extracted the seeds, filled the interior with milk, spices and honey and then baked it on hot ashes. |
